There was a point in everyone’s life when a decision has to be made, and since her father’s death, Tru Van Dye has made many decisions. She wants to be a vital part of the community, but has always felt like an outsider. Born and raised in the insular Majj colony, she still doesn’t seem to fit the typical Majj mold. She is, it seems, always yearning for something just beyond her reach. Her ultimate goal is to find and bring to the institute the Curzon Treasure, a formidable goal to say the least. Her father had ideas, she worked along side him, verifying the facts, and agreed with them. But to put her plan into action, she needs help, and she needs it from the outside. What Tru wants to attempt will bring her the notice she wants, and the place within the society that she craves. If she can find the treasure, she will gain the Charter she needs to stay with the Majj Institute, and continue with her work. If not, she will be rejected and ejected from the only home she has known. The strict rules that govern the Institute over which her father presided will not allow non-productive members to stay, and even though she was born within the ranks, she must earn her Charter like everyone else.

The treasure Tru seeks lies far from the comforting walls of her home, and to get to it she needs a tracker. Among her father’s contacts, there were a few trusted men, but the one with whom she needs to deal is a man definitely not to be trusted. For some odd reason, her father had great faith in this man, but as far as Tru is concerned, he is not safe. The way ahead is treacherous, and she needs a strong tracker, but someone who will watch her back as well. She has to find a way to deal with the man, Rayce Coburne, and the virtu-wav is just not working. She truly thought she was ready for the meeting, but he is not at all what she expected. Reality has a way of catching one unawares, and Rayce Coburne in the flesh was a more potent force than she could ever have expected. He was too everything, too male, too domineering, too virile, and way too handsome. The man was truly dangerous in many more ways than Tru wanted to admit, and on way too many levels as well. She was afraid of him in a very feminine way, and that was disconcerting. Tru didn’t need the complications he represented to her for Rayce didn’t fit in her world, or in her plans…

Tall, self-assured, and ready for almost anything, Rayce Coburne was a force to be reckoned with. He was a premier tracker, and hunter of artifacts, and he was extremely good at his job. Rayce was the best, and not too many would argue with that assessment. With his dark hair, worn unfashionably long, and his piercing blue-green eyes, he was nobody’s fool, and until she showed up, he was perfectly happy with the refurbishment of the space station that he and Gill were calling home. Rayce had made his money relic hunting, and was very good at finding the lost or hard to find items. Between jobs, he and Gil bought the space station, and they were turning it into a very modern, very luxurious pleasure and recreation facility. It took a great deal of funds to do the job right, and even though he and Gil were doing a lot of the work themselves, there were just some things that they had to hire out. They were on a schedule, and they really needed more funding, but as things were, Rayce was not too fond of leaving everything on Gill.

It really gripes Rayce when he discovers what Gil has arranged for him, and he is floored when he discovers that the woman is not only Majj, but wants to lead him on a wild goose chase after a mythical treasure. If it weren’t for his respect for her father, Rayce would have turned her down flat. Darn it all, she was offering to pay well, and he and Gill really could use the money. He also thought about the relics, to actually find the Curzon Treasure was enough to make him sigh. The relics reputed to be a part of the vast treasure were priceless, and to be a part of such a find has him thinking twice. All they had to do is follow the trail that her father had mapped out, the trail that he would have started on at the man’s behest anyway. What harm could it do to humour the daughter, and make a bit of much needed funding on the side. He could take her to the pyramid and let her see what she wished, then return. If they actually found something, that would be even better…

C.J. Barry again takes us to adventure through the stars, this time with Rayce Coburne and Tru Van Dye. She has us glued to our comfortable chairs as they face the perils of the discovery, and face an even greater danger that comes from a totally unexpected direction. Unraveled tells a tale of a good thing gone bad, a tale of corruption, greed, and the inherent evil that thrives on those things, and the damage and hurt it causes others. It is also a story of a skeptical man, and a somewhat naive young woman. His attitude is marred by distrust because of his personal experience, she is stunned by his attitude because of her innocent inexperience. He has seen the results of the Majj greed, she knows only what the Institute tells her and her people.

Unraveled brings two disparate people together, and then allows us to go along, wondering all the time whether love is meant to be for Rayce and Tru, or whether the fates are playing a cruel trick. Rayce doesn’t trust the Majj, experience was a cruel teacher, but now, faced with this innocently dedicated slip of a girl, he begins to wonder. As they come closer to their goal, Rayce realizes that Tru is facing trouble far more dangerous than the hostile life-forms they have encountered thus far. Unraveled is a truly exciting book, and as with Unearthed, it leaves you wanting more. Well, smile my dear readers, because Unleashed comes out shortly. Until then, look for Unraveled from Dorchester’s LoveSpell books at a bookstore near you.